Well, after eight and a half months, the day is finally here. I leave today to fly to Philadelphia, and orientation starts tomorrow. What a process it's been; seven months of waiting and wondering, and then a month and a half of intense preparation and lots of emotional goodbyes. Unfortunately, i'm not good at those types of things. Transitions are very hard for me; the bigger the transition, the harder it is. So naturally, this has been a very trying couple of weeks. As I reflect on it, i've come to this realization: the reason that it's so hard to move on is because things have been great for me. I had a hard time with graduation, because Wofford offered great friends, great professors, and a great education. At the time, I was kind of jealous of people who didn't enjoy their time at Wofford, because it was so easy for them to move on. Recently i've had similar struggles, but amplified. I'm leaving behind great friends, great family, and a great life. I always struggle with leaving behind the good things.
Luckily, the next part is one of my favorite parts of life. I love new beginnings; meeting people, learning new skills, immersing myself in a new culture. I would like to think of it as one of my strengths. I quickly get caught up in the whirlwind of new and exciting adventures. I honestly can't even articulate how excited I am about beginning a new stage of my life. I think back to how much I enjoyed my first few days at Wofford, and the sense of adventure I had when I first traveled to South Africa, and I can't help but look forward to all the exciting new adventures coming my way. It has been really hard to wrap my mind around the fact that the day has actually come. I'm almost through with all of the goodbyes (thank god!) and i'll shortly be enjoying all of the new friends and colleagues.
So after a few emotional and anxiety-filled weeks, it's finally time to start the good part. Next time you guys hear from me, I'll be halfway around the world in a village called Kanye. Kanye is 45 minutes outside of Gaberone, and that's where I will be for the next few months. People have been asking me about where to send things while i'm over there. I would urge people to wait until the end of PST. Things will take about a month to get to me anyways (maybe even more), so it will probably be easier to wait until I have a permanent address. I should get my permanent address sometime near the end of May or beginning of June.
Lastly, thanks to everyone who has been supportive and encouraging over the last few weeks. They've been very trying, and encouragement hasn't gone unappreciated. I wish I had the time and means to say everything to everyone that I feel like I should, but unfortunately time is running short. My flight is a just a few short hours away. See you guys on the other side!
Blake
A song to match the moment: Festival by Sigur Ros
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